Lisa Brady, co-director of this year's event, said she
noticed more families running and walking together this year. She attributed the
increase to a contest between area schools in which the school with the most
participants would win an award.

"I think with getting the schools' competition going and the
kids rared up to go, then that's brought in the whole family," she said.

A price drop in this year's entry fees might also have also
encouraged more families to come out this year, she said. Instead of paying $30
to enter the race, each child entry cost $12.50 and included a T-shirt, she
said.

But for many parents, the main motivation for bringing the
kids was health. They said they brought their children to encourage them to
stay active.

Christian McCumber said she was celebrating her 37th
birthday by running her first 5K. She said she talked her two children Lexis
Reid, 17 and Brenden Reid, 13, into joining her by making it her birthday wish.
Her mother, Gail Thompson, 62, also ran with them.

McCumber said she wanted her children to join her "because I
want them to be healthier."

"I wanted them to at least try to do it once," she said. "I
guess I just wanted them to be getting active," she said, adding that today's
young people don't often get enough exercise.

Other parents thought it was important to set an example for
their kids.

Craig Christensen, 40, from Whitehall, ran with his daughter,
Avery, who is 10 years old. He said adults played in a role in helping kids adopt
healthy habits.

"It has to start somewhere and as adults we can set a good
example and hopefully they'll follow," he said.

For some parents, participating in the event was also a way
to introduce their kids to running.

Lisa Rose, 39, from Muskegon, said she ran with her husband,
Ken, and her three children Ellery, 12, Brady, 10, and Chloe, 8, in hopes that
running would become a part of her children's lives.

"It's important for me for my kids to enjoy running, so I
run with them even though I'm not a great runner just to encourage them to be
here so that they can find a sport to do forever to stay healthy," she said.

Lebeau Potgieter, 28, from Norton Shores accompanied his
son, Jack, who is 5 years old, on his first race.

"We're big runners so we wanted to get him involved and
enjoy it," he said, adding this wife did not join them because she was running
the 15K.

Many of the parents said events like the Seaway Run were
important to help promote a healthy lifestyle.

"It's good to do it in a group. You see other people doing
it," said McCumber. "It kind of pushes you to do better."

Potgieter said he would like to see more events like the
Seaway run take place.

"There definitely needs to be more of them, especially for
little kids, to encourage them as well because it's a big issue in this county
particularly," he said.